Cold plate and drain design

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a refrigerator in which a cold plate having a novel triangular configuration is disposed. A plastic drain strip is provided on the side forming the hypotenuse of the triangular shape so that a downwardly and angularly disposed drain means is provided for drainage of water from the cold plate to the rear of the refrigerator to thereby prevent the contents of the refrigerator from becoming covered with moisture. The bottom of the freezer compartment contains a drain hole which communicates with the triangular cold plate so that during defrosting any water formed thereon also runs down the cold plate and then down along the plastic drain strip. Because one of the acute angle apexes of the triangular shape is disposed at the front of the refrigerator, little obstruction is occasioned to the user of the refrigerator. The cold plate may include a right angle portion which extends substantially at a right angle relative to the triangular shape to provide additional cooling surface if this is required.

States atent n91 Jansen M lMarch 13, 1973 [73] Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation,

Pittsburgh, Pa.

22 Filed: May24, 1971 21 Appl.No.: 146,237

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1934 Vretman "62/285 12/1936 Philipp ..62/285 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Austria ..62/285 Primary Examiner-William J. Wye Attorney-F, H. Henson, E. C. Arenz and R. B. Farley [57] ABSTRACT The invention provides a refrigerator in which a cold plate having a novel triangular configuration is disposed. A plastic drain strip is provided on the side forming the hypotenuse of the triangular shape so that a downwardly and angularly disposed drain means is provided for drainage of water from the cold plate to the rear of the refrigerator to thereby prevent the contents of the refrigerator from becoming covered with moisture. The bottom of the freezer compartment contains a drain hole which communicates with the triangular cold plate so that during defrosting any water formed thereon also runs down the cold plate and then down along the plastic drain strip. Because one of the acute angle apexes of the triangular shape is disposed at the front of the refrigerator, little obstruction is occasioned to the user of the refrigerator. The cold plate may include a right angle portion which extends substantially at a right angle relative to the triangular shape to provide additional cooling surface if this is required.

9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures COLD PLATE AND DRAIN DESIGN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to cooling surfaces and, more specifically, relates to a vertical cooling surface for use in a refrigerator.

2. Description of the Prior Art Cold plates which are utilized in refrigerators, freezers, or the like for providing the cooling and refrigerator needs therefore have normally required a means for drainage of the cold plate or cooling surface so as to eliminate moisture drippage within the refrigerator, freezer or the like and the consequent damage or resulting unattractive appearance of the food located within these units. Many of these prior art arrangements have utilized a slanted cooling surface or cold plate so that drainage therefrom could be directed to a convenient drain located, for example, in the back wall of the refrigerator. Moisture collecting on the cold plate was then properly directed to an area where it might be conveniently discharged without affecting the food contained within the freezer or refrigerator. This type of cold plate or cooling surface worked fairly satisfactorily, however, its use normally necessitated that a fairly substantial portion of the volume of the refrigerator, freezer or the like be utilized for the cooling surface of cold plate, thereby limiting the amount of interior space available for the cooling of food stuffs. Alternately, these plates had to be disposed in an out of the way location thereby sometimes limiting a uniform cooling effect and causing stratification in the refrigerated space.

The use of a vertically disposed cold plate has, to a certain degree, reduced the required volume of refrigerator space required and, at the same time, has provided an easily drainable cold plate so that the moisture collecting thereon could not drip directly on the food maintained within the freezer or refrigerator space. Vertical cold plates such as those just described, may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,992,545, issued July 18, 1961, U.S. Pat. No. 2,481,556, issued Sept. 13, 1949, U.S. Pat. No. 2,496,220, issued Jan. 31, 1950, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,914, issued Aug. 6, 1963. In each of these patents the cold plate design utilizes a substantially rectangular configuration so that drainage therefrom is not directed to a single point from which discharge can be conveniently had. Thus, these cold plates are normally disposed along one of the exterior walls of the refrigerator, freezer or the like to limit the space which they occupy and to provide for drainage down the contiguous wall. Uniformity of cooling effect is penalized by such geometry.

Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a centrally located vertically disposed cold plate which not only made provision for a centralized discharge of moisture collecting on the same but also was of a shape which would not interfere, to a great degree, with user access to food maintained within the freezer or refrigerator. At the same time, such a centrally located cold plate should not utilize a significant portion of the cooled volume.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a refrigerator having food and freezer compartments, with a cold plate disposed below the freezer compartment and in the upper part of the food compartment so that only a minimum of space is required within the refrigerator for mounting and operation of the cold plate. More specifically, the cold plate is triangularly shaped, with the legs of the triangle disposed against the refrigerator rear wall and freezer partition so that the side forming the hypotenuse of the triangular shape-yields a downwardly and rearwardly, angularly disposed surface for the leading of moisture to a central disposition area at the rear of the refrigerator. There it easily communicates with a drain maintained in the lower part of the food compartment of the refrigerator. A plastic drain strip is mounted on the side forming the hypotenuse of the triangular shape so as to insure that there is no drippage of moisture as it moves downwardly to the aforementioned drain.

A bent over right angle portion may be provided integrally attached to the triangular shape of the cold plate, with this right angle portion extending along the bottom of the freezer partition so as to provide additional cooling area for use in conjunction with the food compartment. A generally circular hole is disposed mediately in the triangular shape for the reception of an electric light bulb to light the interior of the refrigerator, with the light bulb extending partially through this circular cutout so that light is spread evenly throughout the food compartment of the refrigerator.

Simple means are utilized to mount the cold plate within the refrigerator comprising a pair of screws extending through the bent over right angle portion and into the freezer partition of the refrigerator and a pair of plastic fastenings attached to the rear of the refrigerator and into which the rear leg of the cold plate is inserted to limit its lateral movement.

DRAWING DESCRIPTION For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the preferred embodiment, exemplary of the invention, shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of the refrigerator containing the novel cold plate of the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 and showing the cold plate and drain arrangement; and

FIG. 3 is a view of the cold plate mounted to the refrigerator and showing the fastening arrangement for fastening the same to the refrigerator back wall and freezer partition.

As is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a refrigerator 10 comprises a top wall 12, side walls 14 (only one shown), a bottom wall 16, a back wall 18 and a freezer partition 20 as is conventional in the refrigerator art. Each of these walls comprises a pair of spaced nonpermeable members, with the space between the nonpermeable members filled with an insulating material 22 so as to properly insulate the refrigerator and limit the refrigerant load to that compatible with the operative components of the refrigerator 10. The above mentioned walls thereby form two cold spaces, a fresh food compartment 21 and a freezer space 23.

Disposed immediately below the freezer partition 20 is an evaporator plate or cold plate 24. This plate is formed from a pair of confronting roll bonded aluminum plates 26 and 28 which are formed so that each has one half of the channel through which the refrigerant passes so that, when placed in formed final configuration by the application of heat and pressure, the plates 26 and 28 form a tortuous passageway for the passage of refrigerant gas therethrough so that the cold plate 24 acts in a very effective manner in maintaining a low temperature in the refrigerator 10.

As was mentioned previously in the summary of the invention, cold plate 24 has a general triangular configuration location in depending relationship relative to the freezer partition 20 so that the triangular configuration forms a pair of legs 30 and 32 and a hypotenuse side 34. The legs 30 and 32 form a right angle at their intersection, with the apex of this right angle disposed at the intersection of the back wall 18 and freezer partition 20. Thus, the position of the major area of cold plate 24 is rearward relative to the front of the refrigerator to provide easy access for the user from the refrigerator front side. The user may then easily place food in and remove food from the refrigerator 10 with a minimum of obstruction from the cold plate 24. Cold plate 24 is also situated within the refrigerator 10 so as to be substantially medially disposed relative to the side walls 14, 14 so that a proportioned cooling effect may be obtained from both sides of cold plate 24, and so that a reasonable space for the storage of food is available at both sides.

The side 34 that forms the hypotenuse for the right angle triangular shaped cold plate 24 also provides an angularly, downwardly and rearwardly extending periphery relative to the vertical side walls 14, 14 of the refrigerator 10 which conveniently accommodates the drainage of moisture from cold plate 24 in the following manner. A plastic strip 36 is compressingly and resiliently attached to cold plate 24 adjacent to the side 34 to provide a channel arrangement for the drainage of moisture which collects on the cold plate 24 and drains downwardly therefrom to the area adjacent the side 34. The plastic strip 36 terminates, transverse to the cold plate 24, at each side, in upturned portions 38 and 40, with these upturned portions extending for the full length of the plastic strip 36 and thereby providing a pair of retaining walls to prevent water draining down along the plastic strip 36 from dripping outwardly into the refrigerator 10. The upturned portions 38 and 40 also provide a guard means to prevent bottles, etc., from coming in contact with the cold plate 24. A second pair of upwardly extending portions 42 and 44 on plastic strip 36 form the other side of each of the flow channels for moisture that are bounded by the upturned portions 38 and 40. The upturned portions 42 and 44 are of slightly greater height than the upturned portions 38 and 40 and are spaced dimensionally apart a sufficient distance so as to receive therebetween in a force fit relationship the adjacent portions of cold plate tends downwardly within rear wall 18 of refrigerator 10. At its bottommost extent, drainage channel 48 discharges any moisture flow through it outwardly onto the bottom panel 16, with the bottom panel 16 being sloped towards its middle so that moisture contained on it may conveniently exit the refrigerator 10 through a drainage bore 50 disposed in and extending through the bottom panel 16.

By the just described arrangement, moisture tending to collect on cold plate 24, either during the refrigerating cooling process for refrigerator 10 or during a defrost cycle, runs to the bottom portions of cold plate 24 at the hypotenuse side 34 and then drains downwardly to the plastic strip 36 which leads the moisture rearwardly and downwardly to spout 46. From thence moisture moves through the convenient drainage channel 48 so that it exits to bottom panel 16 and then drains through bore 50 outwardly of the refrigerator 10.

Drainage for the freezer space 23 is afforded through a drainage bore 52 that communicates between the freezer space 23 and fresh food storage space 21, with this drainage bore being formed through freezer partition 20 and leading directly down onto triangular cold plate 24. The drainage of moisture from the freezer compartment 23, once deposited on cold plate 24, is similar to the drainage of moisture that originally forms on cold plate 24.

As is conventional, the freezer space 23 may be cooled by an evaporative cooler 54, with this evaporative cooler, for example, being disposed against or very close to the side wall 14 extending into the freezer space 23. Defrosting of such a cold plate, as cold plate 54, then devolves moisture which flows downwardly and along the top side of freezer partition 20 and from thence through drainage bore 52.

Cold plate 24, insofar as described, has a generally triangular shape. However, in the event that additional cooling surface is required within the fresh food compartment 21, the triangular cold plate 24 may include an integral bent over portion 56 that extends generally at a right angle relative to the vertical triangular surface of cold plate 24, and with the same having a generally rectangular shape. If the bent over portion 56 is utilized to provide additional cooling surface area, it is disposed within the fresh food space 21 so that it has a slight angular inclination downwardly away from the freezer partition 20 so that moisture drains towards the major portion of cold plate 24 formed by the triangular shape. Moisture cannot thereby accumulate on the bent over portion 56 since its drainage is facilitated towards drainage spout 46.

In order to mount the cold plate 24, including bent over portion 56, within the fresh food space 21 a conventional mounting means may be utilized. As shown in FIG. 3, the bent over portion 56 of cold plate 24 is provided with a pair of screws 60, 60 which are attached to the bottom surface of freezer partition 20 by means of a pair of speed nuts 58 that are disposed within the insulation 22 on the opposite side of freezer partition 20 and with the same receiving the screws 60, 60 as they extend through the bent over portion 56 (through punched holes 62, 62). Thus, the bent over portion 56 and the remainder of the cold plate 24 which is integral therewith may be held to the bottom surface of freezer partition 20 so that the cold plate gains its major support from the screws 60, 60.

In order to prevent wobbling of the cold plate 24 laterally relative to the side walls I4, 14, a pair of fasteners 64, 64 that each include stem portions 66, 66 wedgingly engage in the insulation 22 in back wall 18. The step portions 66, 66 are upset outwardly relative to their axial direction by an integral upset stem (not shown) or the like or by being engaged by a tool after their insertion through back wall 18. The mounting of such a fastener is conventional in the refrigeration art so that no further details of the same will be given. The fastener 64, 64 are each provided with a head 68, with each head 68 having a substantial depth through which a fairly deep transverse slot 70 is formed.

In use, the fasteners 64, 64 are mounted through rear wall 18 of refrigerator with the wedging portion 66, 66 engaging in the insulation 22 to thereby fixedly maintain the fasteners relative to the refrigerator 10. In this position the fasteners 64 are disposed with the slots 70, 70 extending substantially vertically and aligned so as to receive portions of the leg 30 forming the vertical edge of the triangular shape of cold plate24. Slots 70, 70 thereby maintain cold plate 24 from lateral movement relative to refrigerator I0 so that they, along with the screws 60, 60, maintain the cold plate 24 in a fixedly secure manner in the fresh food space 21.

In order to provide for lighting of the interior of fresh food storage space 21, a light bulb 72 is mounted in any conventional manner on the bottom surface of freezer partition 20 so that the light bulb extends slightly downwardly and passes partially through a circular hole 74 provided in cold plate 24. The circular hole 74 and light bulb 72 are offset relative to drainage bore 52 so that moisture which drains downwardly from freezer compartment 23 does not impinge directly on the light bulb 72. A guard 76 may also be furnished for the light bulb 72 so as to prevent accidental breakage of it during user use of the refrigerator 10.

It should be clear from the foregoing that a convenient and inexpensive cold plate and drainage system has been provided for a refrigerator so that the cold plates shape and vertical disposition contributes directly to a convenient drainage of moisture therefrom and a substantial non-interference with access for the user of the refrigerator. It should also be clear, although only a single embodiment of the invention has been described, that it is exemplary only and that many modifications could be made to it which would still fall within the spirit and purview of the description offered.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a refrigerator including a cabinet having means defining a refrigerated fresh food space therein:

a single cold plate evaporator mounted in said space,

at least the major portion of the area bounded by In a refrigerator according to claim ll: said hypotenuse includes channel means for guiding moisture draining down said cold plate to the rearward side thereof. In a refrigerator according to claim 2:

. said channel means is formed by a member attached to said cold plate and downwardly along said hypotenuse;

. said member has a transverse extent relative to the general extent of said triangular cold plate to thereby overlap the edge formed by said hypotenuse on both of its sides.

. The vertically disposed cold plate of claim 3:

extending said member includes upwardly extending portions that resiliently grasp said cold plate to thereby maintain said member in fixed relation relative to said cold plate.

. In a refrigerator according to claim 2:

. said cold plate includes an integral, substantially horizontal portion to thereby increase the cooling effect of said cold plate. In a refrigerator according to claim 2:

. said cold plate includes an aperture means; and

. lighting means extends partially through said aperture means. In a refrigerator according to claim 2:

. said channel means is formed by an elongated member attached to said cold plate to extend along said hypotenuse;

. said elongated member includes a plurality of upturned portions;

. at least some of said upturned portions forming means for attaching said channel means to said cold plate. In a refrigerator according to claim 7:

. the remaining ones of said upturned portions form retaining means for preventing moisture drippage in said refrigerator. In a refrigerator according to claim 2:

. said cold plate includes an integral, substantially horizontal portion;

. said substantially horizontal portion having a slight angulation downwardly towards said cold plate to thereby lead moisture towards said cold plate. 

1. In a refrigerator including a cabinet having means defining a refrigerated fresh food space therein: a single cold plate evaporator mounted in said space, at least the major portion of the area bounded by said cold plate being of a generally right triangular configuration as viewed from the side, said cold plate including tortuous refrigerant passages therein lying in the general plane of said cold plate, said cold plate being disposed with said major triangular portion being vertically disposed in a plane parallel to the sides of the cabinet and with the hypotenuse of said triangular configuration extending downwardly and rearwardly to direct draining moisture downwardly and therealong.
 1. In a refrigerator including a cabinet having means defining a refrigerated fresh food space therein: a single cold plate evaporator mounted in said space, at least the major portion of the area bounded by said cold plate being of a generally right triangular configuration as viewed from the side, said cold plate including tortuous refrigerant passages therein lying in the general plane of said cold plate, said cold plate being disposed with said major triangular portion being vertically disposed in a plane parallel to the sides of the cabinet and with the hypotenuse of said triangular configuration extending downwardly and rearwardly to direct draining moisture downwardly and therealong.
 2. In a refrigerator according to claim 1: a. said hypotenuse includes channel means for guiding moisture draining down said cold plate to the rearward side thereof.
 3. In a refrigerator according to claim 2: a. said channel means is formed by a member attached to said cold plate and extending downwardly along said hypotenuse; b. said member has a transverse extent relative to the general extent of said triangular cold plate to thereby overlap the edge formed by said hypotenuse on both of its sides.
 4. The vertically disposed cold plate of claim 3: a. said member includes upwardly extending portions that resiliently grasp said cold plate to thereby maintain said member in fixed relation relative to said cold plate.
 5. In a refrigerator according to claim 2: a. said cold plate includes an integral, substantially horizontal portion to thereby increase the cooling effect of said cold plate.
 6. In a refrigerator according to claim 2: a. said cold plate includes an aperture means; and b. lighting means extends partially through said aperture means.
 7. In a refrigerator according to claim 2: a. said channel means is formed by an elongated member attached to said cold plate to extend along said hypotenuse; b. said elongated member includes a plurality of upturned portions; c. at least some of said upturned portions forming means for attaching said channel means to said cold plate.
 8. In a refrigerator according to claim 7: a. the remaining ones of said upturned portions form retaining means for preventing moisture drippage in said refrigerator. 